Three Unionville scorers enough to beat Great Valley on the road

EAST WHITELAND >> Sometimes a loss can galvanize a basketball team and help it reach its potential.

Two weeks ago, the Unionville boys basketball team lost to Avon Grove in a game the Indians thought they should have put in the win column. Thursday night at Great Valley, the Indians, coming off impressive nonleague wins over Shipley and Friends Central, walked into an opposing gym and came away with a tough 50-43 Ches-Mont League American Division win over the host Patriots, who were undefeated in the American Division.

Only three players scored for the Indians, led by 6-foot-6 Logan Shanahan, who tallied 19 points to go along with 11 boards. Sean Neylon added 17 points, including four 3-pointers, and Bryce Whitlock added 14 points and five rebounds.

“After the Avon Grove loss we rededicated ourselves and worked on a lot of things,” Shanahan said. “We worked really hard in practice. Tonight, I got good position under the boards and rebounding has to be a big part of my game, and Coach (Chris) Cowles stresses that for me. We beat two really good teams over the break and we wanted to keep it going tonight.”

The Indians (1-1 Ches-Mont American, 6-4 overall) shot 18 for 41 from the field and only turned the ball over six times on the night. Unionville got four treys from Neylon, while Shanahan added two more from beyond the arc. Unionville forced 10 Great Valley (2-1, 5-6) turnovers, including four in the fourth quarter.

Unionville had a 22-18 lead at halftime, courtesy of the Indians outscoring Great Valley, 13-6, in the second quarter. The two teams played a fairly even third period with the Indians outscoring the Patriots, 15-13, to take a slim 37-31 advantage into the fourth. Shanahan started things off for the Indians in the final frame by scoring on a follow to make it a 39-31 game. But, Great Valley fought back on two big baskets by senior Josh Stehle, who led the Patriots with 14 points.

But, Unionville moved the ball around the Great Valley zone defense smartly, and when Neylon hit Whitlock underneath for a layup it was a 43-35 Unionville lead with 3:35 to play. Stehle hit another jumper after an Indians miss to make it a 43-37 game and Whitlock again bailed the Indians out with a hard-driving layup to make it 45-37 with 2:40 to play.

“I think after the Avon Grove loss we refocused, and to tell you the truth, even though it is boring, the difference has been the kids’ execution,” Unionville coach Chris Cowles said. “This is a tough place to play and we executed well tonight. Logan was big for us inside and that has been a point of emphasis for him, being 6-foot-6. He can shoot the three and he can dominate down low with his size. And our kids are communicating well with each other on the court and our defense tonight was very good and that is all about communication.”

Great Valley could not get closer as the Patriots shot just three for 10 in the final period. But when Will Fredrick connected on a long three from deep outside, it was a 45-40 Unionville lead with 43 seconds to play.

But, at this point, the Patriots had to gamble and foul on defense and hope the Indians missed their free throws. The Indians went five for six from the fould line in the final 43 seconds with Neylon and Shanahan taking care of the duties from the line, and the Indians had their third straight win and a victory over a very tough division foe.

“We came together after the Avon Grove game,” Neylon said. “We came on in practice and we trust each other and are playing for one another. Tonight was an example of that.”

Unionville 50, Great Valley 43

UNIONVILLE (50): Neylon 5 3-4 17, Shanahan 6 5-6 19, Whitlock 7 0-0 14, Kucharzuk 0 0-0 0, Passarello 0 0-1 0, Dunn 0 0-0 0, Carello 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 8-11 50.

GREAT VALLEY (43): Stehle 6 0-0 14, Steinbrenner 4 1-2 12, Fredrick 2 0-1 5, Corrigan 1 0-0 2, DiMedio 3 0-0 6, Thomas 2 0-0 4, Broxton 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 1-3 45.

Unionville 9 13 15 13 – 50

Great Valley 12 6 13 12 – 45

3-point goals: Neylon 4, Shanahan 2, Stehle 2, Steinbrenner 3, Fredrick.